From the outside, the
new Lenovo T400s touch doesn't look all that exciting -- unless you're the sort to get excited over ThinkPads, in which case you're probably quite stoked that it looks exactly like the
non-touch T400s. But it's actually a pretty crazy product -- it's a regular laptop with a high-end four-finger capacitive touchscreen. Not a tablet, not a convertible, just a laptop. And a ThinkPad, so you've already got both a touchpad and a TrackPoint to get around. It's a little puzzling until you use it, and realize that just casually reaching out and touching the display sort of makes a lot of sense. Sort of -- there aren't a lot of apps that take advantage of multitouch right now, and while Lenovo's SimpleTap app launcher / control panel system is a cool demo, it's more of a nifty feature than a killer app. Still, it's nice to see a responsive capacitive touchscreen make the touch features of Windows 7 much more fun to use, and while we didn't end up trying to touch our regular laptop screens when we were done with the T400s touch, we'd certainly spring for the option if we were in the market. Check a little video after the break.
posted September 15th 2009 6:28PM
This is really col, and a step in the right direction. But it's kind of pointless overall without the ability to convert it. Arm fatigue is the biggest factor there. If it was a convertible and I could treat it like a notebook on a table or in my lap, that'd be killer.
yeh wow. i really like the scrolling through the web browser.
Agreed, Touch is great - and this interface is really slick, but I dont want to hold my arm up all day.
I wish my convertible table had touch - but I's stick with my touch convertible before even considering this.
As someone who owns a multi-touch tablet, it's quite useful when you're typing a lot and have it in laptop mode to have the multi-touch. If you used it all the time you'd end up with a sore arm, sure, but that's not what it's for.
After a few months of owning it, I have yet to feel any arm fatigue when using multi-touch laptop mode.
you can't fully convert it but if it's like the t500 it can open up like a book, so that hepls create some options.
So hot.
TouchPad FTW.
hmm.. I don't really see the advantage to having a touchscreen with the standard laptop form factor, the T200 tablet has a better form factor for touch
of course I mean the X200 tablet, stupid comment system
It may be unnecessary for a normal laptop to have a touch screen, but it's a nice option that the TS is there if you want to use it. Whether cheapsters want to pay $2000 for having that option might present a bit of a problem. I'm glad Lenovo took the effort to produce it.
I find the passive touchscreen on my Fujitsu P1610 extremely useful in laptop mode - I always tap things on the screen with my finger because it's intuitive and quicker than moving the cursor. When I switch back to my ThinkPad, I have to stop myself from instinctively reaching out and tapping the screen. Once you get used to finger-tapping the screen, you might find it hard to go back!
i'd still prefer it to be a convertable, just so, its like a normal laptop that you can reach out and touch stuff, but also be able to convert it for writing/draw stuff in a more normal manner.
I smell a new Engadget Recession Antidote coming on!...or they guy 2 cubes over...yeah...definitely the guy 2 cubes over...NM
Grrreat.... All the usefulness of a smudgy screen without that pesky handwriting and speedy note-taking crap.
Is this an actual product or just a tech demonstration? Or have I simply not been paying attention to recent tech news and completely missed this announcement? I can't seem to find it on Lenovo's website (US version)
It's on their website. If I were in the market again, I think I would go for the regular T400 again, but look! SSDs are half price right now when you order a T-series.
If it was a tablet, I would be sold =(
they announced the X200 tablet with the same functionality yesterday.
Does anyone else go up to things nowadays and just expect to be able to pinch+drag to zoom? It almost seems wrong using +/- buttons on certain kiosks/smartphones etc now.
this is exactly what I have been waiting for in laptops. It would be nice to be able to swing the screen all the way back to create a tablet though. Her's hoping more manufacturers add this as a standard.
wow, that is exactly what I want. but either pad too.
I wonder what the browser on the Zune HD is like? I heard they went on sale today...
ugh. too bad you end up pushing the screen back whenever you use the touchscreen. If it was a convertible, it'd be perfect.
you obviously have never used a lenovo laptop, the screen doesn't move that easily on my T400
Only, you can see it wobbling in the video.
the final image kinda resembles a penis
There's also a new x200T (tablet) option that has 2-point capacitive touch, so for those of you who want this in a tablet besides the HP tx2 and the Dell XT2 there you go.
Anyway, how could you do a video showing off the touch without also demonstrating the awesome Windows 7 Touch Pack? Was it not bundled with this computer you got?
Laptop screens already become extremely wobbly after a year or so with normal use. Jamming your finger and rocking the thing back and forth as shown in the video is going to cut that time down to about a month, I'd say.
capacitive, seriously? Its doesn't cut for laptop use, IMO, with all the recognition software. It lacks precision handwriting, and smudge all the screen. A pen-sized stylus doens't get much space since you are carrying a laptop, anyway.
The older option (X30 maybe? I don't remember) was a more interesting product, having a convertible screen also.
I may have to talk to our Lenovo rep to get one of these in to play with.
I ALWAYS WANTED SOMEONE TO MAKE THIS!!!!
does anybody know which company is supplying the chip for the touch functionality? synaptics? or cypress?
Um, neither. N-trig was the first to market with a capacitive touchscreen panel for the PC, and Wacom just recently got theirs done. I suspect that for the x200T, which only has two-point multitouch plus an active digitizer for pen input that it's a Wacom digitizer since I hear they don't have more than 2 point touch working yet, and I suspect that this 4-point multitouch in the T400 is an N-Trig digitizer.
Actually according to GottaBeMobile both are using N-Trig. It seems that the final drivers for Windows 7 are limited to two-point multitouch, at least for the N-Trig based Latitude XT2, so that seems to point to the Lenovo tablet being N-Trig just like the T400.
And a full review with benchmarks and detailed coverage is also here:
HotHardware - http://hothardware.com/Articles/Lenovo-T400s-Multitouch-Notebook-Review/
If it functions really well on photoshop and illustrator I may become a converter back to thinkpad.
lol. It will be become small, and looks like a telphone. so we can lay it in the pocket.
Now that engadget has experienced a tablet sized capacitive touchscreen in action , they wont get into an orgasmic frenzy with the launch of apple's tablet.
Or will they?
Looks good, but I will never buy a lenovo laptop. That's because of the most stupid keyboard they have with Fn and left Ctrl switched. It's like targeting a small part of population. Maybe the gay community :), they are also switched..
As a professor who teaches and reads/types papers, T400s with a touch screen is ideal for me. I have an HP tc4400 tablet but its 12" screen is too small for my editing work for which I would like to put two windows side by side. Working with a 14" will be much more pleasant.
In classroom teaching, I use ppt or pdf slides most of the time but sometimes use the tablet function. I don't often turn the screen and hold the entire 4.5lb HP on one of my hands. So, a multi-touch non-convertable 14" screen is just perfect for mixture of teaching and editing jobs!
I just ordered one.
I could have sworn the multitouch option for the T400s was there on the UK Lenovo site last I looked, but it isn't there now. In the display options details is says "Only ThinkPad Tablets offer MultiTouch screens options."
The naysayers that poo poo touch screen portable pc's that aren't a tablet or convertible form factor, they just don't realize how useful a touch screen can be on a regular notebook. I just added a touch screen to my Aspire One D150 netbook and i would never ever want to go back to using the touch pad on it, or lugging a mouse around! No way in hell... the touch pad is awkward as heck to use and a lot of the time i'm just holding the netbook in my hand or on the couch and there's no place for a mouse anyway. Touch screens rock on netbooks and i can see them being great for regular notebooks too. Now every time i'm using my netbook and go to do something on my boat anchor sized notebook i try to touch the screen before i realize i've got to resort to using the mouse! Ugh! lol